


Crime scenes are no place for children

by Its_a_MadWorld



Category: Death Note
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Gen, No Wammy's House
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-03-21
Packaged: 2018-01-08 20:50:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1137238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_a_MadWorld/pseuds/Its_a_MadWorld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mello and Matt took in six year old Ryuuzaki, they quickly noticed how smart he was. But children, no matter how smart they are, should NOT be able to solve murders.</p><p>Ryuuzaki would love to tell them he's really twenty-six...and the great Detective L.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crime scenes are no place for children

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Detective Conan

When best friends and housemates Matt and Mello took young Ryuuzaki Rue in, their only thoughts were how happy they were that their landlord Roger had lowered their rent because of their 'kind' action. They thought taking care of the boy would be easy. They had both taken care of young children before, Matt having younger siblings, and Mello being forced to babysit by his parents, because they refused to pay for all the chocolate he wanted.

But Ryuuzaki was not like any of the other children they had to look after. The six year old was much more mature, and while he sometimes pretended to be a normal kid around strangers, he most certainly was not. He did have the usual love of candy and other sweet foods, but his love for it surpassed that of Mello's love for chocolate, and with all the money they were spending on Ryuuzaki's candy, cake and fruit, Mello's chocolate and Matt's junk food, gum, and when they could, video games, they probably would have been better off paying the full rent. Their were also Ryuuzaki's strange habits, that both had given up on trying to break. If the kid wanted to have a permanent slouch, they wouldn't stop him.

They liked having the kid around though. But now wasn't one of the times.

"Ryuuzaki! You almost got us arrested!" Mello screamed at the raven haired boy. Ryuuzaki wasn't at all bothered by this, and continued to chew on the stick left over from his lollipop. He gazed up at Mello with uninterested eyes, which caused the blond to sigh and hang his head. There had been some talk of putting him into anger management classes if he didn't learn to control his anger by himself, and it was something that he didn't want to go through.

Matt continued on for Mello.

"A crime scene is not the place for a child. You're lucky that we hanged around for as long as we did. I know that you're interested in the solving of crime, but entering the crime scene itself was going much too far."

Ryuuzaki wished briefly that he could tell them the truth, just to see how they would react. It would be interesting to tell them that he was L, the famous detective they idolized.

When trying to solve his newest case, he had decided to actually go out to the scenes of the crimes. The criminal he was after was actually a whole organization, known to the world as K.I.R.A. No one knew what each letter stood for, but there was much speculation (Killing is Really Awesome?). K.I.R.A. specialized in a poison that caused heart attacks. When he was caught by one of the members, he was fed the poison.

But instead of causing him to have a heart attack, he woke up to find himself shrunken into a young child. This led him to believe that all the heart attacks were caused by the shock the body went through when it started shrinking, and the person died before they shrunk noticeably. The questions he had been unable to answer were how he had survived, and how the poison shrunk the body in the first place.

He had been lucky enough to come across an old friend of his adoptive father and butler of sorts, Quillish Wammy, better known to him as Watari. He managed to convince Roger that he really was L, and was able to contact Watari and tell him what happened. Watari had advised him to stay low, and because Roger wasn't willing to let him stay, he was sent to live with the two school dropouts that were renting a house from Roger, Mihael Keehl and Mail Jeevas, who preferred to be called Mello and Matt for reasons.

Ryuuzaki was broken out of his minor flashback when Matt snapped his fingers in front of his face. He blinked a few times, realizing that he hadn't been paying attention.

"So will you remember not too mess around in police business from now on?"

Ryuuzaki nodded, but he hoped to spark both of his guardians' interest. He took the significantly shortened lollipop stick out of his mouth before speaking.

"Okay, but I believe I managed to solve the case."

They didn't believe him, but who would believe any six year old child if they said that?

"No, you didn't. I know that you're smart, but you're not that smart." Mello retorted, clearly unimpressed.

Matt wondered why Ryuuzaki would say such a thing, when it couldn't possibly be true, when Ryuuzaki smiled, something that was rare for him unless it was one of the fake smiles he put on when he faked being a normal child.

"I really might have Mello. I suspect that it was the victim's sister. Her motive for killing her brother is unclear, but her alibi doesn't quit match up when looked at close enough. I'm sure that if you ask the police to interrogate her more, she would eventually confess."

The two decided to humour their charge.

"Okay, but I don't think that we'll be allowed back at the crime scene." Matt said with an amused smile.

Matt and Mello grabbed Ryuuzaki's hands, even though they knew the boy didn't like it at all. During the walk back to the crime scene, the two teenagers shared silent messages between them. Ryuuzaki was silent, once again eating the lollipop stick. When they arrived, they were immediately chased out of the area, but they managed to tell them Ryuuzaki's suggestion as they were running away, without telling them that it was Ryuuzaki who came up with it.

They were surprised two days later when they heard on the news that the sister had been charged with the murder, and that police had help from an 'anonymous' source. Matt and Mello looked at Ryuuzaki in shock. He shrugged in response and continued eating his cake.

The two friends starred at each other.

"If I didn't know better..."

"It could have been just a lucky guess."

Ryuuzaki was too interested at the news report that was currently on to listen to Matt and Mello's conversation about him.

"Police hang their heads in shame as last night, the notorious phantom thief Phantom Angel made off with another priceless gem."

Ryuuzaki started chewing on his thumbnail. He had been looking into Phantom Angel ever since the thief started becoming well known. The thief intrigued him for many reasons, one being how young they obviously were. Many suspected that Phantom Angel could be a woman, but it was very possible that it was a young teenager or even an older child.

Suddenly, the television was shut off before the report even finished. He looked at Mello and Matt, but not with annoyance like real children would have done if they didn't have a fit. His gaze was mostly blank, but a bit expecting.

"Okay, Ryuuzaki. We've always known that you were very different and much smarter than most your age, but how far does that actually go?" Matt asked, tapping the remote against his left leg. Mello wasn't eating the chocolate bar in his hand, which confirmed that they were serious about the question. Ryuuzaki knew that they wanted a believable answer, preferably the truth, but he couldn't give them the exact truth.

"Intelligence wise, I am more likely than not smarter than the two of you. You don't have to believe me, but it is the truth. And I have secrets that I'd rather you not know, both because they are meant to stay secrets, and because you wouldn't believe them to be true. Now, I'd like too finish watching the news. Could you please turn it back on?" Ryuuzaki stated, sounding almost like an actual child wanting to watch his cartoons at the end. Matt and Mello looked at each other for a few moments, before they decided that it was best to give up for the time being. Matt turned the television back on and rewinded it to the part where it had been before it was turned off.

The two took a seat on the couch on either side of Ryuuzaki, not knowing what to say. And it was best to let the boy keep his secrets.

'But could we possibly have a mini detective under our care?'


	2. A pointless day with Phantom Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L/Ryuuzaki needs to escape Matt and Mello, and unfortunately his plans of action are changed by the one he asks for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phantom Angel is a canon character, just in disguise and doing a lot of acting.

Ryuuzaki respected his temporary guardians almost as much as he respected Watari. They had taken him in with very few questions, and they almost never complained about him being there. Even though they didn't know the truth about him, they recognized that he wasn't a normal child and they didn't treat him like one. He was glad that Roger had sent him with them, because in hindsight living with Roger would have been hell.

But there were times where he really wished he was somewhere else.  _Very_  far away.

"Dammit Matt! You can't tell me what to do!"

"If you just learnt to-"

"Shut up!"

From his place on the couch, Ryuuzaki shook his head. It had been ten minutes since they had started fighting, and he knew that it could go, most of the time off and on, for hours on end. It really wasn't the best time to work on the cases he had taken on under his new alias of Conan, which Mello and Matt had mistaken for writing, drawing and simple browsing of the internet. He also couldn't hear the television.

He really only had one option. He needed to call someone to come take him somewhere else. The people he could probably call were Roger, who would be a last ditch effort, Nate _,_ Merrie, Tierry or if none of the others could help him, Phantom Angel, who he had become full friends with against all odds.

He considered the options carefully, not wanting to make to big of a mistake. If he called for Nate, the teen would probably come, especially if he was actually at school, because it would give him a reason to ditch. Merrie and Tierry both had (completely legal) day jobs and they were probably at them, and neither could probably get time off to pick up a child that wasn't theirs. Roger was always home, doing who knows what, but Ryuuzaki remembered that Roger's car had 'broken down' recently (Both Mello and Matt denied any involvement). That left Phantom Angel. Ryuuzaki knew nothing of Phantom Angel except a phone number to 'an extra cell phone', given to him after he proved to be a worthy rival.

He reached for the phone sitting on the side table. He really only had the one option if he wanted to escape Mello and Matt. He dialled the number, noticing that it spelt out a word. He put that information away for later. A few moments later, someone answered.

"Hello Ryuuzaki." The voice was female, but Phantom Angel was able to change their voice to almost any one they wanted, and used both male and female disguises, which put a temporary stopper on Ryuuzaki's plan to figure out the thief's gender.

"Hello Phantom Angel" Ryuuzaki replied, not at all surprised that the thief would know it was him. Presumably not many would have the number. He instead focused on the task ahead. If Phantom Angel was available, where would he ask them to bring him? There weren't many places to go where he wouldn't be questioned as to why he wasn't in school, learning things that he already knew very well.

"So what do you need Ryuuzaki? This is obviously not a casual call." This broke Ryuuzaki out of his thoughts. Removing his thumb nail from his mouth, and wiping it off on his pants, he explained.

"Mello and Matt are fighting, and I can't concentrate on my work with all the noise they're making. Is it possible for you to drop me off somewhere so that I can work?"

Phantom Angel chuckled over the line. When they replied, Ryuuzaki could hear the smile in their voice.

"I'll take you somewhere, BUT you're not allowed to bring any of your 'work'. You need to have some fun."

Ryuuzaki realized that calling Phantom Angel wasn't the best idea. This would not end well, he was sure.

"I'm taking you to the park."

* * *

Phantom Angel – Ann Kate – was holding his hand despite his minimal protests. They – she – said she was only doing this because he was such a cute kid that somebody might have tried to take him otherwise, but Ryuuzaki was sure that she knew he didn't like physical contact very much.

Ryuuzaki had decided that it wasn't that bad that he was going to a park. He remembered his first childhood, before he had been adopted by Watari, playing at the park near the orphanage with his few friends. He would spend most of his time on the swings, with his best friend Raito Yagami, a boy who lived nearby, pushing him as high as the slightly younger boy could. They would switch around sometimes, but Raito didn't enjoy the swing as much as Lawliet did.

Unfortunately, Ryuuzaki knew that parks had gotten much 'safer' and more boring since his first childhood. Equipment was shortened, many things were removed and there were always more changes that nagging parent had done.

When Ann and he had gotten to the park what kids were there were below school aged. It was mostly quiet, enough that he could probably think about his current cases even though he didn't have his notes. That was, if Ann would allow him too.

"'Zaki, go find someone to play with. Or at least play by yourself." Ann said pushed him forward a little bit, urging him. He really did not feel like playing with any of the little kids, because he really wasn't sure how to act around them. His eyes wandered over to the (significantly smaller that when he was younger) swings. There was only one person on them. A girl who was simply sitting on her swing.

He walked over and hoisted himself up onto the seat. By the time a minute was over, he was already quite high. The girl watched him in amazement, wishing that she could get that high to, but she didn't know how to pump very well, and her brother refused to play with her.

"Excuse me! Could you help me get as high as you are." She called out to him. He slowed in his pumping and looked at her. She had to resist the urge to gasp when she saw his eyes. They were the most beautiful grey she had ever seen.

Ryuuzaki contemplated briefly whether he should help the girl or not. It was really a pointless thing, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to deny the girl the freedom that he had just recently rediscovered. Swings were by far the best part of most parks, and it would also save the girl's parents the trouble of having to push her all the time. Speaking of that, where were her parents?

"Sure, I'll help."

The little girl's brother watched with a smirk as the raven haired boy helped his little sister. He closed the book he had been reading, not bothering to mark his page.

"He really is something, isn't he Light?" He looked behind the bench to see a blond haired woman leaning against the back. She had a familiar smirk on her face, so despite the disguise, he knew who it was right away.

"Yes he is Angel." He motioned for her to sit down, which she did. "How much does he trust you so far?" He took a bag of chips out of his bag and began eating them.

"More than he should I think. I've begun to think that the poison in messing with his mind now."

Light nodded in agreement. He'd noticed a change in the descriptions in the reports Angel had been giving of Ryuuzaki. He seemed to be getting more childish, among other things. K.I.R.A. didn't have anyone to compare this to, because Ryuuzaki was the only one to have ever been turned into a child because of the poison.

"You've been a good addition to all this kid. When K.I.R.A. finally cleanses the world, you won't be among those criminals killed." Ann didn't reply and once again watched Ryuuzaki and Sayu.

Once the two kids grew tired of the swings, they wandered over to where the two adults were watching, both a bit surprised. Sayu was surprised that they would be talking which each other, but Ryuuzaki was surprised how much Sayu's older brother looked like his old friend.

"Thanks for helping my little sister. I really should have been doing things like that myself, but I've been busy." Busy preparing to bringing the world to it's knees, with him as its leader and god.

Light then put on a fake goofy smile, wanting to keep the illusion that he didn't know who Ryuuzaki really was.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be related to someone named Lawliet, would you? You look like he did as a kid"

This question caught Ryuuzaki off guard, but it did confirm that this was an older Raito he was seeing. It was a bit surprising to see someone he had always remembered as young an adult. It was also surprising to see him here.

"I don't think so, but I really don't know much about my family."

Light nodded and enquired about a different subject.

* * *

When Ryuuzaki finally returned home after the long talk with Light and Sayu, in which he came up with even more lies that he would have to remember, Matt and Mello weren't yelling at each other anymore. He walked over to the couch were Matt was playing his new game, a look of annoyance on his face.

Sitting down, Ryuuzaki munched on the pastry that Phantom Angel had gotten him on the way back. He found that he really had enjoyed going to the park, even though he had barely played. He would have to ask Mello and Matt to take him there at some point.

"Ryuuzaki, some people have taken notice that you don't go to school and reported it. You're going to have to go now, whether you like it or not." Matt stated causally not looking away from his game.

Mello and Matt had taken his decision not to go to school quite well. It was partly because they were high school drop outs, but also because they thought that he was smart enough not to need to go for a little while longer.

Going to school would be worse then spending the past months with Roger. He would go from solving complex (And not so complex) cases to learning that 1+1 equalled 2. If he could he would challenge this with the higher power who decided that all children ages six to sixteen had to be in school, but it would look a bit strange, and he didn't want to get any huge attention

"And in the case that you're thinking of 'pulling a Nate' and skipping a lot, remember that you're six and he's sixteen and has a reputation. With him people just shake their heads and sigh or complain to my sister about it, but with you there would probably be a visit from a social worker very fast. It wouldn't turn out very well, especially because we're not your legal guardians."

Well, there went that idea.


End file.
